How do I know what work is right for me?

We’ve all asked this question at some point throughout our careers. We tend to think that we need to choose a career and stick to it for the rest of our lives, but that’s not true - especially in today’s fast-changing world.

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Where you started doesn't define where you'll go

Your background doesn’t define your next steps. While you can work in something related to your degree or current work experience, you can also explore new careers and open more exciting doors to meaningful work, regardless of your studies or past job. Start by looking at what you prioritise, be it your work values, your strengths or your interests.

In this blog, we look at how to find fulfilling work through roles and teams that align to your work values.

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What are work values?

Work values (also referred to as workplace values, team values and team culture) are the beliefs relating to your career and workplace that describe what you matters to you.

These values can drive the way you collaborate, communicate, make decisions, solve problems and form relationships with your coworkers.

For example, some people value a highly social team and enjoy building friendships with their coworkers, others may prefer to keep their work and social life separate. Some people may value a team that rewards individual efforts through healthy competition, while others prefer a more collaborative team with shared goals.

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Why find jobs based on your work values?

When you find a role and team that aligns with your work values, work can be more fulfilling in plenty of ways.

• ‍Be more productive: Having a team that gels with your work style and values usually means you can all get into a good momentum to get more done! ‍
• Make confident choices: Being sure of your work values can help you make better career choices and day-to-day decisions at work.‍
• Feel a sense of belonging: Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. When you have a team that aligns with your work values, it can feel like everyone is on the same page with similar expectations of how work is done.

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How to figure out your work values

It’s important to know what you care about in your career, your team and your daily work life. These things don’t just help you clarify what you’re looking for, they also help you ask the right kind of questions that are meaningful to you.

You don’t need a long list of work values, you just need to know what’s a priority to you. So you can focus on finding a role and team that matches or complements you.

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Here are a few questions and tips to help you define your work values:

• What makes you happy at work?
• Do you like to work closely with others or independently?
• How much do you integrate your personal life and work life? Do you keep them completely separate?
• Ask your friends or co-workers how they could describe your work values. E.g. Are you collaborative, autonomous, supportive, focus on outcomes, prefer to get all the details etc.

If you’re just starting out in your career or still unsure about your work values, you can try a few different approaches:

• Think of a time at school or university when you had a task or project. How did you prefer to complete it?
• Not sure what exactly are your work values? You can always start with a list of what definitely is NOT part of your work values.

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How to find employers that share your work values

If you’re ready to find a new job opportunity with companies and teams that share your work values, here are a few ways to get started:

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Read between the lines of job ads

If you’re looking at job ads, check to see if the job descriptions share what it’s like to work in the team, from day-to-day interactions, collaboration style and more.

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Visit employer websites

Check the employer’s website (including their career pages and blogs) to see what kind of policies they have in place. For example, some companies are remote-first, while others have an in-person office policy.

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Watch team videos

Some hiring managers share team videos in their job ads - listen to how they describe the way they work, make decisions, what’s a typical day like and more. You can find team videos in job listings on the employer's website, job ads on job boards, the employer's LinkedIn page or even the hiring manager's personal LinkedIn pages.

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Get help from LinkedIn connections

Your LinkedIn community can help! Research has shown that often our ‘weak’ or distant connections on LinkedIn can be great sources to help you find a job. You can get first-hand insights into a company, industry or team by reaching out to someone you know working in the company. Alternatively, you can ask them to introduce you to someone in their network.

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Check out team culture and work values

If you’re looking at a Hatch role, check out the team culture map to see what work style and team values are prioritised. Just hover over the each section of the maps for more information and tips.

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Keep your options open

Don’t just look at established organisations, be sure to check out startups - a lot of them prefer to hire early career people for their work values.

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Find a role and team based on your work values

Explore live roles on Hatch across Marketing, Data, Sales, Tech, Ops and more. Stand out in your job applications by showcasing your strengths, values and motivation, not just your resume.

Or, never miss an opportunity - sign up to Hatch and get matched to exciting roles based on your strengths, values and interests - sent straight to your inbox.